Percy Comes Back From the Dead
by raytrendyme
Summary: I should have stayed. I should have stayed and fought with Percy. With both of us fighting, we could have defeated all of those monsters. When Percy and I stuck together, we could win any battle. That had worked so far. When I left him to fight on his own, he went and tried to play here, he got himself . . . (Annabeth's POV during Battle of the Labyrinth when Percy is with Calypso)


"Put your cap back on," Percy ordered me. "Get out!"

"What?" I shrieked at him in disbelief. "No! I'm not leaving you."

"I've got a plan." He assured me. "I'll distract them. You can use the metal spider—maybe it'll lead you back to Hephaestus. You have to tell him what's going on."

My eyes flicked to the weapon the sea demons were building. The greatest titan weapon? That couldn't be the scythe of. . . I looked back at Percy.

"But you'll be killed!" I protested. How could Percy ask me to leave him face all these monsters on his own? He always had to be the hero. What kind of friend would I be to leave him?

"I'll be fine. Besides, we've got no choice." His voice didn't waver, but I could see it in his eyes. He might _not _be fine. But we _had _to tell Hephaestus what was happening at his forge. I was glaring at him and his eyes were burning into mine, begging me to go.

Before I could change my mind, I grabbed him by his collar and kissed him.

"Be careful, Seaweed Brain." I told him. Then, I put on my Yankee's cap and turned invisible. The shock on his face was absolutely priceless. I didn't look back when I released the spider and allowed it to lead me back into the maze.

I had only been running after the stupid metal spider for a few minutes before I heard a deafening explosion behind me and I faltered in my steps. The opening that had led to the St. Helen's mountain had collapsed and the heat from the explosion blew through the tunnel.

I felt like I was choking. Percy _had_ to be okay. Percy was _always _okay. I had to believe that. So, I bit back that feeling that made me want to cry and continued to chase the spider, who'd wasted no time making sure I was keeping pace and rushed away into the darkness.

* * *

When I told Hephaestus that there were Telekhines in the forge building a Titan weapon in his forges, he grimaced and turned away from me.

"You supposed it's the scythe of Kronos, girl?"

"I believe so." He turned back to me and blinked.

"Weren't there two of you demigods before?"

I swallowed. "I—He—"

He snorted and turned away from me. "I see. Well, about Daedalus."

"Yes?"

"I can tell you, he's been closer to you than you've realized."

"What?" I asked.

"You're a child of Athena." He informed me like that was new to me. He messed with some metal pieces in his hands and the movement was starting to aggravate me. "You'll figure out what I mean. I can't tell you more than that."

"That's it?" I couldn't believe we'd risked out lives at the forge for _that. _That Percy had sacrifi—

I turned without even thanking him and ran back into the maze.

* * *

When I got back to camp without any of the people I'd taken with me into the maze, the silence I was met with by the entire camp hurt more than anything else.

Chiron took me into the big house and I told him everything. I told him about the forge, the scythe and about Percy sacrificing himself so I could tell Hephaestus about it. (I left out the kiss because, it was irrelevant in the scheme of things.)

"What did Hephaestus mean by, 'He's been closer to you than you've realized?'"

"The gods are mysterious, child. Perhaps he meant that you were close to his workshop?" Chiron suggested.

"Maybe. . ." Chiron turned on the TV and on the news they were showing a clip of Mount St. Helens, a huge plume of fire shooting into the sky, and ash falling down in a huge flurry of gray.

"_Lead volcanologists are uncertain of the possibilities of further eruptions." _The newscaster reported, an image of the destruction to the left of her head. _"Authorities have ordered the evacuation of over half a million people as a precaution. Meanwhile, ash has fallen as far away as Lake Tabot and Vancouver, and the entire Mount St. Helens area is closed to traffic within a hundred-mile radius. While no deaths have been reported, minor injuries and illness numbers are in the hundreds. We're unsure what caused the volcano to suddenly erupt but when the worst of the disaster has dissipated, it will be looked into." _

I turned off the TV.

"I don't think he's dead, Chiron. He can't be." Chiron didn't say anything in return to that.

Those first couple of days, I really believed he was okay.

After the sixth day, I thought… Well, maybe he's having trouble getting back home.

The ninth day, I was running out of gods to pray to for his safe return and my hope that he was still okay was fading all too quickly.

By the time two weeks had passed, I was an absolute wreck. When I wasn't trying to figure out a way through the maze, I was crying.

I should have stayed. I should have stayed and fought with Percy. With both of us fighting, we could have defeated all of those monsters. When Percy and I stuck together, we could win any battle. That had worked so far.

When Chiron came to me after not showing up to dinner for the third night in a row and told me we were going to burn a shroud for Percy tomorrow, I broke. He held me as I cried.

Percy had died…

And, it was all my fault.

The next day, with no one else in Percy's cabin to make him a shroud, I requested that my cabin to do it. I didn't trust anyone else to do it right. I had to make sure it was made properly.

It was a beautiful sea-green embroidered with a trident. It was simple, but beautiful. We carried it out to the amphitheater.

By that afternoon, everyone had gathered in the amphitheater. I had been crying all day and everyone was smart enough to leave me alone.

I stood to the right of Chiron as he delivered the news. And even as he said it, my heart clenched. With Percy gone, I realized he wasn't just my friend. He was annoying and stupid, but he meant so much to me. Gods, when did he become such a big part of my life?

"Annabeth returned from the Labyrinth two weeks ago. Percy stayed behind in order to insure her safe travel back to Hephaestus' workshop. After such a long time with no word, we have to assume he is dead." I bit the inside of my cheek at the word _dead. _I would _not _cry in front of the entire camp. I don't care how red my eyes are right now, I wouldn't shed another tear. "After so long a silence, it is unlikely our prayers will be answered. I have asked his best surviving friend to do the final honors."

I took a deep breath. Then I stepped forward and I set his shroud on fire. I watched it burn for a few seconds, then I turned my eyes to the other campers.

"He was probably the bravest friends I've ever had." I was proud of how I managed to keep my voice steady. "He. . ."

That's when I caught sight of a kid with messy, dark hair in a simple cotton outfit looking like he'd been lost for the past couple centuries. His sea-green eyes wide, as if he'd seen his own ghost. I felt my face turning red as I pulsed with anger.

"He's right there!"

* * *

_I wrote this kind of quick and only read though it once for mistakes so please forgive any that I may have made._


End file.
